


Peccata mundi

by WantonFlesh



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Dark Past, Daud needs a hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Guilt, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 07:00:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15746661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WantonFlesh/pseuds/WantonFlesh
Summary: It had been an exhilarating climb as always before Daud stood at the top of Kaldwin’s Bridge.





	Peccata mundi

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to do a short & sweet fic that experimented on the dynamic between these two. Hope you enjoy the read.

It had been an exhilarating climb as always before Daud stood at the top of Kaldwin’s Bridge. He looked out at the vast river, usually brown and murky, now lit ablaze like fire under the setting sun. It was an angelic scene; fluffy golden, vermillion, and purple clouds drifted without a care in the world. Teal tugged at the sky, bringing purple and a blanket of stars with it. It was a like painting, a story told on the breath of spirits, one that he couldn’t read but could still stare in awe at.

Daud lit a cigar, comforted by the familiar fruity taste, and wondered for the thousandth time if it would be his last. He gazed down at the long fall, wondering if this would be the time he finally had the courage to do it. Doubtful. That’s why he came up here at his worst - he found comfort in the beauty of the setting sun, and he could never will himself to leave it behind.

“Daud.”

He jumped at the voice, dropping his cigar off the bridge and nearly falling off with it, but a strong grip quickly grabbed him and pulled him away from the edge. He hadn’t even heard the man who now held his arms as he stood frozen, trembling with adrenaline. Daud noticed the mark on the man’s left hand, the same spidery mark he had on his own. The only other person he knew of who had that…

“Corvo,” he said, voice cracking with too many difficult emotions. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing if I didn’t already have a pretty good guess.”

Daud finally looked up at Corvo and immediately wished he didn’t. He hadn’t seen him since Rudshore when he was poisoned and vengeful. It brought on another wave of memories and guilt, and he was reminded of what always pushed him to climb the bridge in the first place.

“I wasn’t going to do it.”

“No, of course not. People make the ridiculous climb up here just for the view all the time.” To Corvo’s credit, he was trying to keep the snark out of his voice. “Sit down,” he said.

They both sat on the wide metal beam, facing the shimmering river.

Daud sighed. “After what I did, why wouldn’t you let me?”

Corvo turned to him, face drawn in sympathy. His hair, his eyes, and the sharp points of his tan face all turned amber in the golden sun, and in that moment he was a merciful god. “You’ve done terrible things, but they haunt you,” he said. He paused, closing his eyes and listening to the rush of the water below, feeling the breeze on his skin. “For the longest time, I wanted nothing more than to kill you, to see the life drain from your eyes, just like I watched hers.”  
Daud said nothing, sitting defeated before the colors of the dying sun.

“But then at Rudshore, I waited and listened. Your men talked about how you were changed - weaker, in their eyes. You were waiting for me. You wanted it - wanted me to kill you. You regretted it that much. And I was so angry, I told myself it didn’t change anything, but it did. It changed everything.”

Daud stared numbly down at his hands, not acknowledging the hand on his shoulder. 

Corvo looked at his face, the rough skin and the deep scar that ran down it, the sunken eyes. Grief and regret seemed permanently etched into Daud’s expression.

The words caught in Daud’s throat, barely there, but aching to surface. He’d been waiting to say it all this time, but would it matter? It didn’t change anything. But if it didn’t matter anyway, he might as well say it.

“Corvo, I’m-” his voice broke- “I’m so sorry.”

Corvo reached up and gently turned Daud’s face up to meet his own and Corvo saw the change in his eyes - it pained Daud to look at him.

“I forgive you,” Corvo whispered.

The words were unmistakable, but Daud denied their existence for a few long moments because they were as gentle and fleeting as the wind whipping at his ears. He searched Corvo’s eyes, mouth agape in disbelief.

Why? He didn’t deserve- How could anyone--

Daud was still silent, lost in Corvo’s gaze, throat clenching as burning tears fell. Corvo suddenly pulled him into a hug, earning a gasping sob before Daud hugged back.

Corvo held him until the stars chased away every bit of colorful sky. They were far more visible from atop the bridge than down in the city, and they were numerous. Whoever says that the sky is dark hasn’t spared more than a glance at it. 

They both laid back on the cool metal, staring up in content silence at the distant galaxies and nebulas. It was a moonless night, which made them shine all the brighter. Under the stars, they could both forget about the Void, about the Outsider, about the world and its weight on their shoulders.

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit guys! I am just now reading The Return of Daud (super late, I know) and in chapter 2 Daud comes back to Dunwall, watches the sunrise, and admits it's beautiful. It's a small detail, but I'm glad I was right about this grumpy assassin liking the sky (even though in this case it's a sunset).


End file.
